Wednesday, 2 October 2013

Roasted Breakfast Pears

My sister in law made these incredible roasted pears for our family brunch on Saturday.

Not being much of a morning person, brunch is one of my favorite meals. The fact that you can make these ahead of time, get an extra hour of sleep, and still impress your guests makes them a big winner in my book.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Halve pears; core. Using a melon baller, scoop out a 1-inch depression in the center of each pear. Brush cut sides with lemon juice.
Spread butter in the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and salt; add orange juice. Arrange pear halves, cut sides up, in a single layer in the baking dish.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or just until pears are tender, spooning cooking liquid over pears several times during baking time (baking time depends upon ripeness of pears).
Remove from oven; stir vanilla into cooking liquid. Let cool completely. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, turning pears in liquid at least once during chilling time.
To serve, in a small bowl stir together yogurt and maple syrup. Spoon the mixture into each pear half. If desired, sprinkle with additional orange peel. Serve with granola and toasted almonds.